Let This Last
by coveryoureyes
Summary: After being undaggered as part of a scheme against Niklaus, Dagmar decided to get the hell out of Mystic Falls and fled instead of sticking around. Denver seemed like an easy enough place to blend in and catch up on what she missed. What Dag didn't anticipate was the boy who seemed determined to befriend her and who made her feel more alive than she had in the last 1000 years.
1. Chapter 1

It was like waking up from a dream. She tried to move but felt as though her body was weighed down. A pounding in her head made it impossible to hear very much, and her eyes were sealed shut. As much as she tried to hold it in, she felt tears building up behind her eyelids as the rush of feeling – the rush of pain – began to race through her veins. She began to let out a nearly silent whimper, but suddenly she could make out words being spoken by voices she instantly recognized talking over her.

"Come on. Use it. I dare you. You'll have Dagmar to deal with."

There was no fucking way – Elijah? The last she had seen him was when Klaus had daggered her in '96. However to her growing horror she realized that she had no idea how long ago that had been as the memory of Klaus plunging a dagger through her chest came back to her. How long had she been left in this godforsaken coffin this time? He'd kept Finn locked away for a millennium straight, had she been given the same treatment?

The voices she strained to hear continued to fade in and out, but she heard the phrase, "He's gone Elijah, forever," and having been able to make out the name "Mikael" beforehand her thoughts came to a complete halt. Was he really – had Niklaus really done it? Were they all finally safe from their father?

Dagmar struggled but failed to follow the rest of the conversation, however she did hear the name "Salvatore" and would have gasped if she was able. Her Alexia had mentioned that name more than a few times, and she wondered if it was possible that the person in question was the same man her protégé had been speaking of.

Just as she was finally able to twitch her fingers and toes, she heard Elijah say, "What are you doing?"

Unfortunately, the glide of the ash covered dagger between her ribs was a sensation she was far too familiar with.

 _God damn it, not again._

* * *

Once again, Dagmar woke from a neutralized state. However this awakening took mere seconds. As soon as she was able, she surged out of her wooden prison, wildly looking at her surroundings. Her fangs burst through her gums and she felt the veins beneath her eyes fill with blood as she let out a starved whine. A moment later a container of blood was thrust beneath her nose. Gripping the bag holding the red liquid she quickly bit into it harshly, knocked it back, and chugged the contents. Just after she finished she was handed another plastic bag filled with blood, and then another and yet another.

After the burning sensation of being desiccated was abated, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and tried to make sense of what was around her.

Finn was sitting up in his coffin looking dazed, while Rebekah looked furious. Panicked, she sought out her twin and let the relief flood through her when she found Kol's sharp aura, a perfect reflection of her own, even though rage clouded his expression.

Elijah's evenly toned voice caught her attention and she whirled around, seeing him discard a few empty blood bags – he must have been the one to feed her – before he handed a silver dagger to her, handle first.

"Dagmar, I believe this belongs to you."

It took a moment for Dagmar to translate his English into Old Norse. After she woke from being desiccated she often took a minute to recall her English perfectly. But when she sorted out what he'd said she snorted and gave him a scathing glare as she replied, "Of course of all the times to develop a sense of dark humor you choose to do so while I'm locked in a box. How unfortunate."

He huffed out a small sigh and cleared his throat quietly, causing all of her siblings to look to him.

"Niklaus is just outside. I've relieved you all of your own daggers. I believe we ought to show him that we are not pleased with his actions."

A sadistic grin grew on her face and Kol quickly strode over to her, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"How about it, Sunny? I hold him back while you castrate him?"

"I haven't done that since the 1700s, but thank you for remembering, Gloomy. I've since discovered a whole new arsenal of torture for us to play with. Wait until I show you chainsaws, you'll absolutely adore them."

The twins smiled at each other, but Dagmar whipped her head around when she heard a low voice whistle softly before muttering, "This will be fun to watch."

Leaning against the wall was a man she'd never met before. The soft glowing grey of his aura alerted her straight away that he was a vampire. Dark lashes framed light blue eyes, creating a striking contrast. When he saw her looking him over a cocky smile covered his face.

While not taking her eyes off of the unfamiliar man she asked over her shoulder, "Elijah, who is the stranger over here?"

Her sister answered instead of her brother in an annoyed tone, "His name is Damon Salvatore. He is an absolute prat and quite the man whore."

Well that answered that. Damon wasn't a name she recognized, so he was not the same Salvatore her Lexi was fond of. That meant he wasn't off limits. Her fangs began to descend and she knew Kol could feel her beginning to fidget, causing him to tighten his hold on her, sending the subtle reminder that he could hold her back.

The hum she was producing from the back of her throat became a low growl as she said, "Well he looks absolutely delicious."

Damon's smile grew even wider if possible and he cocked an eyebrow before trailing his eyes up and down her body. He winked and said back to her, "Well you're not too bad yourself."

Kol let out a loud laugh and moved his position from Dagmar's side to right behind her, gripping her upper arms tightly and keeping her in place.

"You're a bit out of your league, mate. My sister is being quite literal."

In a slow voice, as if talking to a child he said, "Now Sunny, remember that little promise you made to yourself? No more feeding off of vampires. It makes you a tad twitchy – remember that little incident in Massachusetts?"

Letting out an exasperated huff she rolled her eyes and bit back, "There is no need to patronize me you asshole. I haven't fallen off the wagon since then. I'm just hungry. And furthermore in my defense, those hundred and six men were Loyalists. You could say that by slaughtering them I was a hero in the founding of the United States of America."

Looking decidedly less comfortable, Damon turned and tried to conceal the nervousness from his voice as he suggested, "Uh, Elijah? Want to call off Thing 1 and Thing 2 and introduce them to the plan?"

Dagmar and Kol shrugged away from the younger vampire and focused on Elijah as he explained that they would be attacking Niklaus and revealing that they were all animated once again before leaving him behind and traveling together.

The twins briefly met each others eyes and nodded minutely, agreeing on their own, decidedly different plan. Neither one of them had been included in the little "forever and always" bullshit that their three siblings had sworn upon. Both would take off when they wanted to live apart from the others.

The only one that Dagmar had ever actively sought out to find over the years was her twin, and the same applied to him. Coming across her other siblings was by chance or them seeking her out. Their meetings and time spent together was often polite and at times even pleasant, but altogether awkward. Dagmar had been their mother's least favorite and after her so-called "disgrace" she had been alienated by all of her siblings apart from Kol.

Centuries of time apart strangely enough did not erase the wounds created by the comparatively tiny time frame during which they had lived as humans.

She watched as all of her siblings gave back to Elijah the daggers that had kept each of them in their neutralized state for different lengths of time. Elijah and the Salvatore left the room, and the rest of the siblings remained in their places until they heard the words signaling their time to surround Niklaus.

"Where are your manners, brother? We forgot dessert."

For the first time since being awoken, Dagmar heard Klaus's voice clearly as he said in a shaken voice, "What have you done?"

Elijah spoke with more emotion in his voice than usual as he angrily replied, "What have you done? You see I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

Kol, Finn, and finally Rebekah entered the parlor and Klaus' reaction for each made Dagmar excited for her own turn to torment the brother that saw it as his right to destroy her life each time it just got fun.

When she entered she found Klaus being restrained, his arms behind him and held by a murderous looking Kol. To her immense surprise, the black aura that had always surrounded Klaus and her other siblings, what with them being Original vampires, had been changed since she last saw him. A deep red was now twined with his black, a clear combination that indicated his status as being both vampire and werewolf.

Niklaus had broken the curse.

Holy hell.

However, Dagmar quickly gathered herself, not allowing this surprising information to change her actions nor her feelings toward her older brother. That was why when she walked into his line of vision and saw his pain replaced by a look of terror and panic that he almost perfectly repressed, she felt a surge of glee. However, she was able to see through it and decided that she wanted to keep that expression on his face for a moment more.

She sauntered over to her brother slowly, twisting the dagger she had retrieved from the platter in her hand and humming. When she reached him she gently dragged the point of the silver weapon from his chin to the top of his forehead, not meeting his eyes.

"Dagmar, please. You know I had to, it was always for your own good."

Laughing lightly she placed her hands on Niklaus' cheeks and met his gaze while she smiled in mock friendliness.

"Of course it was, brother. All is forgiven. In fact, I was thinking of buying you a gift. Maybe a nicely aged wine?"

Kol peeked at her from behind Nik's shoulder and replied without releasing his grip, "Actually I was thinking we could bake some pastries."

"Right you are; always showing me up, Gloomy. However, I was thinking of doing something a bit _different_ now that I'm thinking about it."

Without hesitation she plunged the dagger into his throat just below the Adam's apple, twisting it just a fraction of an inch before pulling it back out and tucking it into the waistband of her jeans, adjusting her shirt over it to hide its shape.

"Now, on to more important things."

Dagmar blurred across the room and in seconds had the other young vampire in the room pinned to the wall by his throat, and she noticed that Damon had frozen and started to approach the two slowly. She realized they must be friends of some sort, and the dark haired man felt protective of the physically younger looking one.

She leaned forward and glared harshly at the green eyed man, who remained wide-eyed and silent. Her fangs nearly grazed his nose when she suddenly pulled his face close to hers, gripping the collar of his shirt.

"Is Morrissey still alive?"

The shift in facial expression on the man before her was comical, and she struggled not to laugh at him. His confusion and bafflement were painfully genuine and clear, and his voice was incredulous as he said, "Morrissey?"

She rolled her eyes but refused to back down as she dismissively waved her other hand, "Yes, Morrissey. Lead singer of the band The Smiths."

His mouth hung open for a second before he replied slowly, "Uh, yes, I think."

Appeased, she let out a breath and a relieved laugh, "Oh thank the fucking Lord. Alright, the world can't be that bad this time around."

Dagmar brushed the man's shirtfront off and straightened it before smiling warmly and saying, "Thanks, man. You are the savior of my sanity."

From across the room she heard Damon mumble under his breath, "Are we sure about that?"

She turned around quickly to face her siblings, all of whom were glaring at Niklaus and looking ready to eviscerate him, apart from Kol who was smirking at her.

"Is this Morrissey fellow that good?"

"He's fantastic. Makes me want to dance through the streets drinking Red Bull and O Negative."

"Red Bull? Furthermore, what the hell are you wearing? Why is there jewelry in your nose?"

"I hopped aboard a trend. And I _really_ need to catch you up at some point. Anyway, see you all sometime next century. And little bro – Valstrop."

Before another word could be spoken, Dagmar blurred out the door and ran as fast as she could to escape whichever town she was in at the moment. Over the roaring sound of wind rushing by her ears she was able to make out Kol's indignant shout of, "Thirteen minutes!"

She planned on traveling to one of her concealed houses and laying low for a while, perhaps even playing human as she acclimated.

 _Time to see what the world has to offer nowadays._


	2. Chapter 2

Stefan Salvatore was rarely caught off guard if he could help it. Becoming a vampire and remembering all of the tricks that Katherine had played on his mind made him careful, and he often tried to predict the actions of those around him.

But he could not call a single thought to mind in the moments after the short, dark-haired girl had pressed him against the wall and then subsequently fled.

Damon, predictably, was the one to break the silence with a large dose of sarcasm.

"Anyone want to explain what the hell that was?"

Rebekah was the only one to reply, rolling her eyes and sounding pissed off as she said, " _That_ was my older sister. Who we've lost _again._ Unless Kol wants to translate whatever she said in your idiotic twin language?"

The youngest Original brother shrugged and had an exaggeratedly innocent smile on his face when he replied, "Haven't the faintest idea what you mean, Bekah."

Immediately after he responded to his sister, Elijah interrupted the scene and looked back to Stefan and Damon before saying, "You're free to go. This is family business."

Not needing any more prodding than that, the brothers ran into the woods outside of the house, heading in the direction of the Lockwood cellar. After a few minutes they deemed it safe to slow their pace to a relaxed walk.

Stefan glanced at his older brother and cleared his throat before grudgingly saying, "You were right about Elijah. Undaggering him was a smart move."

Damon let out a snort and Stefan could hear the underlying tension in his tone when he responded, "Wow, actual acknowledgement of a job well done. You're going soft, Stefan."

After a moment Stefan looked back to Damon meeting his eyes and asking, "How worried should we be about the other Original sister? They said they'd lost her as if she wasn't with them very often. And she definitely seemed a little…"

"Uh, crazy? The last thing we needed was another insane indestructible bitch. But she was completely nuts; after she was undaggered she and mini Elijah were gleefully discussing what method of torture was their favorite. And did you see what she was wearing? A Nirvana t-shirt and flannel. If her taste in fashion is anything to go on, yes, we should be worried."

"Damon, I'm being serious. We don't know anything about what she's planning on doing, especially now that she's taken off."

"Well there's nothing we can do now. Let's just wait and then ask either Elijah or Barbie Klaus for the low down on her after they've all cooled off."

They agreed that there was nothing to do but wait to investigate the girl. After that their conversation quickly veered away from the Originals and onto a certain doppelganger, putting her aside and far out of their minds.

* * *

Dagmar didn't stop running for hours, didn't stop until she began to grow tired. As an Original vampire, that meant that she had covered an incredible distance. She slowed her pace when she left the woods, walking leisurely through the town she had reached. As far as she could tell it was the fall, perhaps even the early winter, and the temperature wasn't too cold yet. In her jeans, t shirt and long sleeve flannel her attire didn't stand out too much from the humans she observed walking around. With all the running she'd been doing, it was definitely useful that her combat boots had been fairly new when she wore them the day she was daggered.

The world didn't seem drastically different than it had appeared in 1996, when Niklaus had caught up to her again and daggered her – _for the fifth motherfucking time._

It didn't matter that all of them were now awake, for what she assumed to be the first time since Finn was daggered. Her brother didn't trust anyone, but in reality Klaus himself was the one who could not be trusted.

The town she was in seemed small, and when she entered the convenience store it appeared to be a family run establishment. The man behind the counter looked bored as he flipped through his newspaper, and she was sure to plaster on an enormous smile, though she knew from what she'd seen reflected in the store window that she looked like shit at the moment. Dagmar had tried combing her fingers through her wind-tangled hair and wiping at the eyeliner smudged below her eyes, but only so much could be done.

"Hello, could you please tell me the date?"

Without looking up the man gestured to the wall behind him where a calendar was hung. Having been worried that he would need further prodding in order to reveal the year, and perhaps forcing her to compel him, she looked to the laminated print in relief.

Her breath froze in her throat.

Could it really be – she'd hoped, yes but – less than twenty years? The shortest period of time that she had ever been confined to the hell of her coffin was just a few months shy of seventy five years. Had she been the emotional sort tears would be rushing to her eyes. On the first occasion when she had been woken from stasis she had been forced to learn English - an entirely new language to her that she had struggled _immensely_ with - after finding out her native tongue had died off centuries before, and each subsequent awakening had to acclimate to wildly different cultures and vastly new technologies. Her question about Morrissey to the flighty baby vampire hadn't truly been about her favorite singer, though she adored him – it had been a way for her to try to anchor herself to whatever time she had looked forward to finding herself in.

When she finally turned back to the man behind the counter she saw him staring at her in frank confusion and a little bit of amusement.

"Something special about today, little lady?"

A small smile spread on her face as she answered back softly, "Not quite, but something along those lines."

"Alright then, can I get you anything else?"

"If it isn't too much trouble could I get a brief glance at the local newspaper?"

He immediately turned the paper he had been reading towards her, allowing her to flip back to its front in order to ascertain what town, and better yet what state if she was indeed still in North America as she had assumed, she was currently in.

This was what she loved about humans. Ask politely, smile, and her young and harmless appearance would grant her many things. Though compulsion was an incredibly useful tool, Dagmar had always found it to be a bit like cheating at a game. She preferred to succeed at whatever game she played in her life without unfair aid. Though of course when strictly necessary she was more than able to turn a mind into mush without so much as a second thought.

According to the paper before her she was in Springfield, Kentucky. Well then. That had certainly made her life much easier than she had anticipated. She had taken a guess when she had let Kol know which safe house she was retreating to. Denver, Colorado was in the center of the country, and without knowing where it was she was released from her prison, it was her go-to. Dagmar and her twin had dozens of cities throughout multiple countries that they had assigned code names to. These cities were what they jokingly called their secret bases. In reality, they were places that they had homes in and that they felt they could successfully evade Klaus.

Kentucky was only three states over from Colorado, so the journey would not be a prolonged one. In addition, "Valstrop" – her home in Denver – was one of her favorite properties and had been to her sadness incredibly underused thus far. With a quick nod she returned the paper and left the store, walking back to the road she had entered the town from.

When she reached the curb she walked a few more miles, enough that she was on what she would classify as the very outskirts of the city. Deeming the location appropriate for her task, she held out her arm, thumb sticking out of her clenched fist.

After two dozen or so cars drove by without stopping – which was understandable, and unknowingly wise of them what with her being a vampire – an extended cab pick up truck pulled over. Two women, looking to be in their mid twenties, sat in the front seat while the back row looked to be vacant.

The driver grinned, looking amused, and leaned over her passenger to ask her, "Hey, are you looking for a ride?"

Dagmar nodded and hopefully questioned, "Yeah, are you by any chance heading anywhere near Denver, Colorado?"

The woman in the passenger seat nodded and said, "We are going west, but we wouldn't be able to get you all the way there. Is that alright with you?"

Nodding once again, she beamed when the driver motioned for her to climb in the back. After shuffling in and getting comfortable, they began to head down the road. The woman in the passenger seat turned around to meet her eyes before nodding to the woman beside her.

"That's Jessica, I'm Beth. Before we get too far – how old are you? Are we kidnapping an angsty teenager away from her parents after a fight?"

Dagmar laughed lightly and smirked before answering as close to the truth as she could, "Despite my appearance, I'm actually nineteen" – physically, anyway – "and I'm not running from my parents. I was staying with my brother, but we're parting on very bad terms. Denver is actually where my home is, but I didn't have any method of transportation to get back after leaving unexpectedly and I'm low on cash."

Beth whistled lowly and laughed before answering back, "I'm right there with you when it comes to sibling troubles. Just wanted to make sure we weren't about to become felons for bringing a minor over state lines."

Jessica joined in the conversation then by saying, "Hitchhiking isn't exactly as safe as it used to be. What if some psycho murderer had picked you up?"

The irony of the statement wasn't lost on Dagmar. They were the ones who had just picked up an arguably "psycho murderer". However luck was on their side today seeing as she wasn't on one of her blind binges nor was she particularly hungry or emotional.

"I have been taking care of myself for a while, and I've gotten used to getting out of bad situations."

"Still. After we drop you off I'd feel better knowing you're alright. I'll give you my cell, you should call me when you get home so I don't go to bed for the rest of my life thinking I've delivered your ass to a serial killer."

"Sounds good. Thanks again for the lift. And sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself properly. I'm Dag Northman."


	3. Chapter 3

Elena tried not to let her nerves get to her as she watched the Mikaelsons' ball proceed from her spot on the stairs. Everyone on the floor was dancing, laughing and smiling as most were unknowingly surrounded by creatures that could kill them before they could blink. For a moment she tried to imagine herself as one of them – utterly oblivious and enjoying the night as a simple excuse to dress up.

Letting out a resigned sigh, she closed her eyes and shook her head back and forth, dispelling the fantasy. She was now not only aware of the supernatural world but very much a member of it herself. Adding to her nervousness was the fact that Ester had requested to speak to her in private. Whatever it was that the Original Witch wanted, it was guaranteed to complicate her life even further.

Just as Elena prepared herself to seek out the Originals' mother she was intercepted by Elijah.

"Elena. I understand my mother requested to see you."

She tried not to let his words add to her already frayed nerves and struggled to keep her voice steady as she responded, "Uh, yeah. Why, is something wrong?"

"Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family strikes me as a little strange to say the least."

"Do you think that it's an act?"

The disturbed look on his face was a clear response when he answered, "It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask. Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?"

Seeing the opportunity Damon and Stefan had told her they sought, Elena carefully formed her response before she said, "Of course, but I'd appreciate a little bit of your trust myself. Stefan and Damon told me that you have another sister, Dagmar I think? I noticed that she isn't here tonight. Is it too much to ask that you tell me about her – let me know how much of a threat she is and if I should be worried?"

A strange expression immediately crossed the Original's face, a mix between sadness and fondness.

"That seems to me a fair question. Dagmar is Kol's older twin sister and was the only one of us to inherit my mother's ability of performing magic. However she called on her powers as she wanted to rather than following my mother's will and because of that that our mother treated Dagmar with disdain from a young age. She was Mikael's favorite of us all."

Elijah paused his description, and Elena noticed that he seemed to be fighting off a grimace but didn't entirely succeed.

"When she was sixteen she was found with a young man she had loved - but our father had forbidden her to marry because of his social standing - in a manner that afterwards deemed her 'impure.' He was betrothed to another, and to save his own reputation declared that she had bewitched him with her magic. Since she was no longer considered to be worthy to marry anyone, her previous prospects vanished. My father's affection for her also seemingly vanished overnight."

He paused, and cleared his throat before continuing.

"Our mother and father insisted that we distance ourselves from her so we would not be associated with someone baring the scorn and disgust of the rest of the village, and we followed their instruction.

Except Kol, that is. The two were and continue to be best friends and are fiercely loyal and protective of each other. Their connection is beyond anything I've seen, one I'm fairly sure is rooted in magic. They had a saying as children that they've loosely translated to rhyme in English - 'Two halves, one whole, two bodies, one soul" – and I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. His name and hers quite literally translate to "darkness" and "light" respectively.

Regardless, life continued that way for the next three years, at which point the events that led to my siblings and I being turned into vampires took place.

Though we all struggled with the transition, Dagmar was by far the most affected. Not only had her only friend outside of the family been Tatia, who was sacrificed as a part of our mother's spell, her connection with her magic was disabled.

However unlike witches that are turned now, Dagmar's magic still exists –it is her ability to channel and use it that has been severed. The pent up powers seems to have made her prone to a degree of instability. As far as I have seen she has worked on it enough to have a good handle on it, but there are a few triggers that unfortunately cause her brief fits of psychosis.

Dagmar is the only one of our siblings to be daggered and then undaggered multiple times by Niklaus. From what I have been able to gather, she has actually only been animated for about 120 years, decades less than your Salvatore brothers. Klaus daggered her shortly after Finn, only a few decades after our transition, and undaggered her six centuries later. Only twenty years later did she wreak enough havoc to be daggered once again. After that I know that she was animated during the Revolutionary War, a time she spent with Kol, and then stayed with Bekah and I for a few months in the 1860's. She was daggered a final time in 1996 when Klaus and I encountered her yet again and they had a disagreement that spiraled out of control.

Dagmar leaving us is not unusual. She never stayed with any of us for an extended period of time apart from Kol; her time with myself and Rebekah was after encountering each other by mere coincidence.

Though she can become ruthlessly bloodthirsty, and occasionally acts upon her instability, you have no reason to see her as a threat. She has only turned a handful of people, and only with their clear consent. While her death count is high, when she is thinking rationally she is careful with who she selects to kill rather than simply compel after feeding.

Dag won't return to Mystic Falls anytime this century by choice – especially if Kol lets her know that Esther is here. The only thing that would draw her back would be if she believed Kol was in danger."

Elena's eyes were wide open by the time that Elijah finished his tale nearly ten minutes later. She had never imagined that the story she would hear would be so sad, or told in such depth. It was comforting to hear that the girl would not be a threat, but the rest of the story instead left her feeling guilty to have pried into the young woman's life.

Feeling as though it was the least she could offer, Elena smiled gently and said, "Thank you for telling me all of that. I'll find you after I talk to your mother, okay?"


	4. Chapter 4

Though it took a few days, and quite a few sips of blood from now-healed truckers, Dag finally reached Denver.

The air, though the purest she'd breathed since emerging from that fucking coffin, still burned at her lungs as potently as the cigarettes she'd gotten hooked on in the nineties. She didn't really know what the hell humans were doing to the world, but it was clearly taking a toll to good 'ol mother earth. The blood tasted a bit tainted, but that was nothing new. The Industrial Revolution had made the _delicious_ undertone of ashes permeate nearly everyone she'd drank from since she was briefly out and about during the late nineteenth century.

But that was beside the point. She'd made it to Denver, and now stood on the sidewalk just in front of Valstrop, the house she had entrusted to the Monroe bloodline. It truly was a _house_ , albeit a very nice one. She didn't have the craving for luxury that every one of her siblings did, especially when it came to architecture. What was the point of investing in an enormous mansion? Dag lived by herself or with Kol almost all the time when she was animated and she liked it like that – being apart from the stifling feeling of being surrounded by all of her siblings – so she couldn't see why she would require a mansion that would only attract unwanted attention to herself.

She approached the house with a loping stride, excited to scope out any changes that had taken place since the last time in 1976 she had checked in with the family line she had entrusted her home to centuries before. The doorbell was typical, the usual annoying chime, and when the door didn't immediately swing open Dag started bouncing on her heels and rapidly pressed it a few more times.

The woman who answered the door was young, yawning and rubbing her eyes in apparent bewilderment. Oh. She supposed it _was_ a bit late. At two in the morning on what she believed was a Monday she had mostly likely woken the girl from sleep. She had to tilt her head back almost comically at look up at the tall woman and the soft green glow surrounding her was the obvious sign that she was a witch, and her resemblance to Laura queued her in to the fact that this was most likely her daughter.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes actually. Is Laura Monroe in at the mo'?"

The girl's relaxed expression was immediately replaced by a hard look, and the flinch would have been imperceptible to a human.

"My mother passed away six years ago. Can I ask why you're looking for her?"

Dag smiled widely and extended her hand in a typical greeting. If Laura was dead – quite a pity to be honest, she'd been lovely – it meant she had to be re-invited into the house. The young woman narrowed her eyes and slowly extended her own hand. Clever girl. The witch clearly knew that most people looking for her mother would be of the supernatural variety.

The moment their hands met, the girl's eyes widened almost comically and her mouth dropped open, presumably sensing what Dag was.

"Dagmar?"

"Call me Dag. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I assume from your reaction that your mother told you who I am?"

"Yes. Yeah. Come on in."

Dag stepped over the threshold without any problem and took in the interior of the house. The changes were immediately clear to her – everything looked a bit more _sleek_ , but she saw no alterations that were particularly troublesome to her own tastes. It was a relief that the current Monroe witch had learned of who she was. Convincing her to trust a defective vampire ex-witch would not have been the easiest of tasks had the girl not been aware of the circumstances surrounding Dag's unusual relationship with her family. And having trouble getting access to her own home would certainly have put her in a bad mood, which didn't end well for anyone.

The witch seemed a bit nervous, rightfully so, if Dag was being honest with herself. Fidgeting, the witch led her into the kitchen and motioned for her to sit. The girl quickly turned on a foreign machine that she placed a small container in that was on her counter, and it took Dag a moment to recognize the smell of coffee and draw the obvious conclusion that it was a coffee maker.

Shit, she needed to catch up.

The girl held up a mug and tipped her head, silently asking if she would like a cup, but Dag declined. When the girl had made herself a mug, she sat across from her and studied the vampire closely. Dag leaned back in her chair and let the girl finish her little investigation. After a minute or so she finally cocked an eyebrow.

"And you are?"

The girl jumped a bit and quickly tucked a strand of curly, bright red hair behind her ear as she blushed and then extended her hand as an introduction.

"Sorry. Shit. I'm scatter-brained when I've just woken up. I'm Leona Monroe - Leo. I'm twenty seven and the current Monroe witch in the area."

Dag firmly shook her hand and decided at that moment that she liked her. Leona definitely looked younger than her actual age, but her stammering nature reminded her of how Bekah had held herself when they were children and she had not yet developed a sense of confidence. She seemed drastically different than Laura, who had never hesitated to knock her down a peg, but her daughter was endearing so far.

Leona seemed nervous, and that obviously wouldn't do if they were to be living together for however long she chose to stay, most likely until Kol came by in a few years.

"Do you have any questions for me? I knew your mom years before she had you. Condolences on your loss, by the way. She was a grade-A chick."

The witch relaxed a bit, and a sad smile made its way onto her face when she nodded in agreement.

"Well, I was hoping you could clear up or correct any bits of the story I've been told about you if they're wrong. I know the basics, but the full details are in a book in the attic I've never really read. You saved one of my ancestors, let her stay in your home" the red head gestured vaguely with a hand to show that the house they were in now stood where Dag's original home had been, "and in return we keep it up and help you out in any way we can when you come back."

Dag hummed lowly, content with the story that had trickled its way down through the generations. Sure, Laura had known a bit better and could have better educated her daughter, but Laura must also have thought Dag wouldn't come back for quite a few decades, probably after her daughter's lifetime.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, so here she was.

"You've got the bullet points down. But you should definitely know more than just that. If we're going to be living together - and we will be, for an indefinite amount of time – I'd prefer for you to be a bit better informed.

Your ancestor that I saved was Angelina Monroe, in 1872. She was being assaulted by a few men in an alley, presumably going to be raped, maybe murdered after" ignoring the cringe and sickened look on Leona's face she continued without resting a beat, "so I stepped in. I have a thing about men who try to control women in any way. Typically, it involves decapitation. I took them out and offered her my blood to heal her wounds, and what with being a witch she predictably turned it down."

Dag stopped for a second, giving herself the small luxury of losing herself in the past, even if only for a second. Angelina had been her first new friend in _centuries_ , since Alexia in the seventeenth century. And the first witch to show her any kindness and hear out her story. Of course at first she had been alarmed to discover that a vampire had magic, but it turned to pity once Dag explained that she could not use it. Clearing her throat quietly, she snapped herself out of her reverie and tried to wrap up the story quickly.

"Anyway. She was a young woman, didn't have a place to live, and was in a tight financial situation - so I moved her into my house. Girl bonding ensued, and I explained the whole 'living with dead magic inside of me' thing, which she helped me deal with so I didn't go berserk all the time. When I had to leave I signed the house over to her. Left her my bank account as well. So the closest Monroe around can live here, rebuild to their heart's desire with my funding, and help me out magically when I return. In exchange, I have a blood oath to protect the current Monroe coven leader to a certain degree."

At this all pretense and forced expressions of nonchalance left Leona's face and she gaped openly. Blood oaths, especially among witches, were not to be taken lightly and always involved serious repercussions when the pacts were broken.

"And that's… that's me? That applies to me?"

Dag knew it was a lot to take in, so she remained patient as she winked and said, "Yes, ma'am. Now, do you think you could show me a bedroom I could crash in tonight? And could I wash my clothes as well? They're all I have for tomorrow, but I'll go shopping after I stop by the local high school to enroll."

"I'm sorry, did you say the _high school?_ "


	5. Chapter 5

Jeremy had been hearing about the new girl since first period. She was already known as the 'angry chick' after she allegedly slammed Bryce Gellar into a locker when he tried hitting on her. Bryce _was_ sort of a dick, so his idea of flirting may have involved ass slapping. But Jeremy hadn't actually heard anything reliable until his lunch period started.

Honestly, he felt kind of bad for her. After all, only a few weeks ago _he_ had been the new kid everyone was talking about. And to top it off, he hadn't had to deal with hormonal teenage guys hitting on him his very first day.

Well, Nick had hit on him, but when Jeremy turned him down he'd taken it well and they'd become friends. Nick was actually the one currently filling him in on the transfer student.

"She's foreign, but her accent isn't strong enough to make her hard to understand. And her name is kind of strange – she pronounced it 'Dahk-mhar' when Miss Ray asked but then told her to just call her 'Dag'. She was my partner in physics this morning. I don't know if it actually happened, but I can completely see her fucking up Bryce. She's funny in a mean way, I like her."

Jeremy felt a smile cover his face. His own sense of humor was pretty sarcastic, and if Nick gave her a thumbs up, she was alright in his book. The guy was a good judge of character.

He could see the new girl – Dag – from the table he and Nick sat down at. A few more of their friends came over in the next few minutes, but he found himself turning back to look at her a few times during the first five minutes of lunch. She was sitting alone and seemed to be flipping through a book, but when he saw her let out what looked like a bored sigh, he made his decision.

When Jeremy grabbed his tray and stood up, a few of the guys at his table looked confused, but Nick caught on pretty quickly to what he was going to do.

"You're about to go all white-knight, aren't you?"

Jeremy laughed and lightly punched him in the shoulder but became a bit more serious when he responded, "Nah, I just figured she should have someone to sit with the first day. I was her a few weeks ago."

Nick rolled his eyes but waved him away, apparently giving his blessing.

The girl didn't move at all as Jeremy approached, it was only when he cleared his throat, standing just next to the table, that she looked up.

For a second she looked surprised – but in a strange way. She didn't look startled by his presence at all, it was more like something about _him_ was surprising. However before Jeremy could think too much about it, he realized he should probably start talking. Now.

"Can I sit here?"

The girl shut her book when he finished speaking and leaned back in her seat, looking him up and down before responding, "That depends on your reason for sitting."

Jeremy noted that Nick had been right – her accent was immediately noticeable, but not too strong. It sounded European, but Jeremy had no idea where exactly it would be from. Up close she was cute – dark hair and eyes with a delicate face. The feminine features made the hoop in her nose and multiple ear piercings stand out in contrast.

Jeremy realized he had spent just a second too long sizing her up when he saw her expression begin to turn into one that looked simultaneously bored and annoyed.

"I thought you could use a friend. I was the new kid here a few weeks ago and I know how much the first day can suck."

Without really waiting for an answer, Jeremy sat down on the seat across the table from her and extended his hand.

"I'm Jeremy Gilbert."

A small smile covered the girl's face and she extended her own hand, shaking his firmly.

"Dag."

He knew it was rude, but he couldn't resist –

" _Dag_?"

She snorted and didn't seem offended when she explained, "My full name is Dagmar, which is pronounced strangely and is considered bizarre in America in the present, so yes, _Dag_."

Jeremy laughed at her somewhat mocking tone, and when he looked down noticed she was reading _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_.

"The third book is my favorite. I love the character –"

Jeremy was honestly taken aback when Dag lurched across the table and slapped her hand over his mouth with a panicked expression on her face.

" _Don't spoil anything!_ My god, how terrible a person _are_ you?"

When she removed her hand a second later, she was still looking at him as if he had stabbed her, and he couldn't keep in his laughter.

"How the hell has _Harry Potter_ not been spoiled for you yet?"

A strange expression crossed Dag's face, a sort of unease, and she replied, "I haven't been in America for very much time. I heard they were popular and wanted to read them."

That – that didn't exactly make sense. The series was known throughout the world. But he disregarded his train of thought and decided he wanted to get back to talking about her.

"So where are you from?"

Dag seemed much more relaxed and said, "My family is from a place near Stockholm, Sweden. You probably haven't heard of it – it was quite small."

Jeremy smiled but said in a falsely serious voice, "Try me. I happen to be an expert on Sweden."

His words had the desired effect and Dag began laughing. However he cut in to the conversation before it could get too off track.

"Really though, how are you liking it here so far?"

She shrugged and said blandly, "Only got here two days ago. Denver seems nice, though. America is mediocre."

Jeremy faked an offended expression, but her worried look made him drop it – clearly she hadn't picked up on the disingenuousness of the expression. When he smirked at her all tenseness left her and instead she looked a little embarrassed, probably realizing her mistake.

"Clearly you haven't experienced the non-mediocre parts of America, then."

His challenging tone was matched by hers when she immediately shot back, "Is that so? Do tell."

"Well, the arcade is a must. Skee-ball will change your life. Not to brag, but I'm fantastic if I do say so myself."

Dag smirked and seemed to be mocking him a bit when she asked, "Is that a challenge, Gilbert? How prideful."

"Guess you'll have to see, won't you?"

She laughed, and immediately pulled her phone out of the pocket of her leather jacket, sliding it to Jeremy across the table.

"Put your number in. We'll coordinate something. Then leave. I have four more books to read after this one and I can't risk you ruining it."

Jeremy smiled but put in his number. However, as he walked away he couldn't resist shouting in her direction, "It's too bad Harry turns evil in the end and becomes the new Dark Lord."

Her shocked gasp was audible to him even at fifteen feet away.


End file.
